Toward God: An Overview of the Life of Prayer

Pastor Rob will be teaching a six session course called:

"Toward God: An Overview of the Life of Prayer."

The class will start on Wednesday, February 15. These are the class dates: Feb. 15 and 29, March 7, 14, 21, and 28. Note: February 22 is skipped because it is Ash Wednesday and there will be a service that evening. 

Class Meeting Time each Wednesday: 6:30-8pm

Class size is limited to 20. See registration link below. 

Course Description:

Imagine how different life would be if we were aware of God moment by moment. That kind of awareness would alter the quality and holiness of all the dimensions of our life. For many Christians however, the possibility of constant communion or awareness of God is an unattainable dream and best left to people who can devote their whole life to prayer, most notably monks or nuns.

The Toward God class seeks to address the journey of becoming more and more aware of God through the activity of praying. Topics to be covered include: Definition and Essence of Prayer, Scripture and Prayer, Prayer and Transformation, Prayer Beyond the Beginnings, Creating Space for God. The overarching purpose of the class is to introduce participants to the various themes and realities of the prayer life in the hope of helping one another become more prayerfully aware of God.

Not every question about prayer will be answered in the class. Not every stone will be turned over in an attempt to develop a definitive perspective on prayer. But what will be attempted is an honest investigation into the mystery of knowing God in part through the life long journey of praying our way toward God.

Attendance at every class is strongly encouraged. The class will include lecture, discussion, silent prayer and reflection. In addition, participants will be required to read three books on prayer from the selected book list and for each book write a brief two-page personal reflection paper. The papers are not academic book reviews but rather reflections on how the content of the book touched your life and your understanding of prayer. Details regarding papers will be addressed during the first class sessions.

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Registration has closed.

For the registration form , click here.

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Samples of the following books will be available to review at our first class. The purchase of books will be discussed at our first class as well.

Book List

• Opening to God by Thomas H. Green (Notre Dame, Ave Maria Press, 2006)
• Opening to God by David Benner (Downers Grove, InterVarsity Press, 2010)
• Prayer: The Great Conversation by Peter Kreeft (San Francisco, Ignatius Press, 1991)
• Clinging: The Experience of Prayer by Emilie Griffin (New York, Harper & Row, 1984)
• Into The Silent Land by Martin Laird (New York, Oxford University Press, 2006)
• Too Deep For Words by Thelma Hall (Mahwah, Paulist Press, 1988)
• Friendship with Jesus by David L. Miller (St. Paul, Augsburg Press, 1999)
• When The Soul Listens by Jan Johnson (Colorado Springs, NavPress, 1999)
• The Practice of Prayer by Margaret Guenther (Toronto, Anglican Book Center, 1998)